Australian Open Semi Final
Men’s Singles
18/02/21
08:30GMT
Novak Djokovic vs Aslan Karatsev predictions for Thursday’s semi final match of 2021 Australian Open. Number one seed Djokovic takes on unseeded and surprise qualifier Karatsev. Follow on for our free predictions and betting tips.
Novak Djokovic, the heavy favorite
The number one seed Novak Djokovic is in his ninth semi final in Melbourne. Remarkably, everytime the Serb has made it to the last four, he has won the trophy in Australia.
In the first two rounds Novak had an easy run but he suffered an injury in his match against Fritz but managed to win in five sets. He dropped a set to each of Raonic and Zverev in the next rounds, beating them both in four sets.
It has to be said Djokovic is the best player now on tour and if he can overcome his injury until the semi final match, it will be very difficult to beat him this year.
Who can stop Aslan Karatsev
Aslan Karatsev has defied all odds and reached the semi final after beating three top 20 players, Diego Schwartzmann, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Grigor Dimitrov.
The 27 year old Russian possesses powerful groundstrokes on both sides, but his forehand has been the main weapon for overcoming the big names so far.
Karatsev has not lost a match this year. He made history with his quarter finals win becoming the first man to reach the semi finals on his Grand Slam debut.
Key Stats
Novak Djokovic vs Aslan Karatsev Prediction
One can only wonder how Novak won his match against Walter Fritz. In the next two matches, the Serb was clearly not at his best but still relied on his serve and risked his shots to finish the points early and it paid off.
Karatsev has shown a solid display in almost all of his matches. He doesn’t seem to be disturbed by the unfamiliarity of the big stage. But to beat Djokovic, the Russian needs to go for big shots and find the lines, something many have found an impossible task against the Serb.
We predict Djokovic to win in four sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Aslan Karatsev Betting Tips
*Djokovic to win 3-1 3.75 or 11/4 at William Hill
*Under 32.5 total games 1.73 or 8/11 at William Hill